


I'll Keep Breathing (Till My Heart Stops)

by Tiny_Topaz



Category: Degrassi
Genre: Blood Loss, Bus Crash, Character Death, F/F, F/M, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Unconciousness, more as they happen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-11
Updated: 2016-07-10
Packaged: 2018-07-14 10:16:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7167104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tiny_Topaz/pseuds/Tiny_Topaz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Basically just an expression of feeling due to #OMFG. The entire thing is a spoiler so yeah.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry this is crap but i have feelings. I also have an 8000 word essay to do in 2 days..
> 
> the format of this pisses me off but there is like 3 lines of dialogue so yeah.

The cheers of victory from the sparse Degrassi fans and mumbled chatter of the opposing team was cut short. A piercing “WHAT!” from Shay cutting all conversations off, leaving the auditorium is silence for a few long seconds until quiet whispers started filling the room, however Shay didn’t hear any of them for her it was as if the whole room had become an empty, dark void. 

~~~

“Maybe the crash wasn’t serious” Lola heard from the group gathered around her but she had already found the news broadcast on her phone, mesmerised by the flashing lights shown on the screen. But then the scene changed and it felt like someone had pulled her stomach right out of her body  
“This looks pretty serious” she said as soon as she gathered her thoughts but instantly felt the same feeling as before when her friends around her broke down.

~~~

“Yeah, and then he realised that they where looking for strippers and ran out of the place like it was on fire” Grace laughed, ignoring Zig who was rolling his eyes at her  
“no way, that is so insane. Looks like you really do need me in your life, Zig” Maya said whilst trying to contain her giggles  
“Whatever, at least I don’t get blackout drunk off one beer like some people” Zig snarked whilst looking pointedly at Grace but she was aware of his form of humour and simply punched him in the arm. At that point the bus sharply turned onto the highwayway causing Grace to start coughing, it wasn’t bad but it still caused Maya to give her a concerned look until Grace shook her head and managed to stifle the last few coughs. Maya was about to say something, to the point of opening her mouth when everyone on the bus simultaneously noticed a car racing down the wrong side of the road. Coming straight towards them. Maya’s words turned into a scream joining the harmony of the rest of the bus as the driver swerved to miss the car and for two seconds everyone thought that they where safe, Grace had already turned towards Maya to continue their conversation. Then they all felt the bus start tipping to the side and it was as if everything happened in slow motion. The bus continued to fall causing Maya and Grace to slide off their seat and end up under Tiny and Zig’s seat. The speed from the highway as well as the rolling caused the bus to slide along the road on its roof leaving flames trailing behind it. Maya had the aisle seat and ended up taking the brunt of the fall hitting her head on the seat and the side of the bus, being thrown around like a ragdoll. The weight of Grace falling on top of her only worsened the blow and the last thing that Maya felt was warm liquid trickling across her stomach and down her head and then she was gone.  
Grace was not so lucky, if you could call it that, and was awake for the whole thing. After falling off the seat and onto Maya she put her arm out as instinct to try and grab the leg of the seat but missed and ended up slicing her arm on a piece of broken window that had gone flying. When the bus finally settled on it’s roof Grace had landed on top of Maya, twisted around with her hurt arm over Maya’s stomach and her head protected up against her chest. She stayed still for a minute trying to get her head around what had happened but it wasn’t working it was all just to insane. Just a few seconds ago she had been playing around with Zig, Tiny and Maya happy that the group was back together and then all of a sudden she was on top of an unconscious Maya, bleeding all over her. Grace had always been practical, sometimes to much so, so she quickly checked Maya’s pulse – weak – then grabbed the school bandana that was haphazardly hanging off her upper arm by this point and tied it tightly around her arm but she knew it wasn’t going to help, she knew her fair share of medical knowledge and with the amount of blood that was gushing out of her arm and all over Maya’s dress and staining her white top a murky red she had done some serious damage and would need help as soon as possible. Once she had adjusted the bandana so that the blood flow had lessened slightly she moved onto more pressing topics and attempted to get off of Maya but it wasn’t an easy task as every part of her body protested. When she had finally rolled off she surveyed her surroundings. The bus was a mess. How she was alive she didn’t know, how Maya was alive she didn’t know. But it was then that she realised that Tiny and Zig, who they should theoretically be on top of, were no where to be seen. Grace couldn’t give into her panic though as she could see flames from the front of the bus start to creep towards her and she knew that at that very moment all that mattered was getting Maya and herself out of the bus. They where both on the roof of the bus as that is where the bus had finished rolling and here was a broken window about two meters away making a clear escape route but there was the issue that Grace’s body had protested just trying to roll off Maya and now she had to not only stand up but also carry an unconscious Maya out. She looked around for someone who was in a better state but almost everyone was unconscious or crying in pain so she figured that it was her time to be a hero. She rolled onto her stomach then pushed herself onto her knees with her good arm at an excruciatingly slow pace. Her head and back felt like someone was hitting them with a hammer but she forced herself to keep going, not wanting herself or Maya to succumb to the flames that where still inching closer. She finally made it to her feet but as soon as she was up gravity pulled her blood flow back down, her bandanna becoming even more drenched and she almost blacked out but she kept on her feet as she had to save Maya. It was all that was running through her head, save Maya. She finally gathered the strength to bend down and pick her up but she wasn’t prepared for the pain, her back was killing her and Maya’s leg was pressing right into the wound on her arm. But she did it, Maya was in her arms and she was on her way out. She was a Hero.  
Manoeuvring her way out the broken window was tough as she had to make sure that nether Maya or herself got cut on the broken glass but once she was out a brief moment of relief overtook her. A group of paramedics came racing over to her which made her wonder just how long it had been since the crash? Long enough for a bunch of ambulances and police cars to arrive as well as to call for more emergency services judging by the sirens in the distance. Two of the paramedics took Maya out of her arms and rushed her onto a stretcher, without the necessity of keeping Maya safe Grace collapsed and allowed the rest of the paramedics to poke and prod at her. The paramedics loaded her onto a stretcher and her last thoughts before the doors closed behind her was ‘where are Tiny and Zig?’  
She wasn’t a hero after all.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lmao this is a pretty huge mess im sorry. again im not a fan of the layout but there still was not much conversation. I guess when the story really gets going it will get better. I'm not quite sure about the time difference between the in the crash and friends of in the crash parts yet but im thinking about half an hour but if i change it i will keep you updated.  
> also im really sorry that im hardly updating this but im in one of the worst parts of school at the moment - i have trials (massive exams 30% of the final grade) in a week, an 8000 word essay due in 3 weeks (i have done 500 words kill me please) and a major textiles project + portfolio due in a month.

It felt as if he was laying directly on the sun. Of course he knew this wasn’t possible, he was going so science camp in California and they obviously wouldn’t choose someone who though that you could lay on a sphere of gas. Would he still be going to Stanford? Tiny’s head was spinning with thoughts, none of which where helping him at all. All he knew was that they where laughing at Zig almost becoming a stripper and now he was possibly on the sun. Medical science had never been his forte but he was pretty sure that he had passed out and he felt himself slipping away once again. Right before he lost consciousness he heard sirens and screams all around him but one stood out, a girl very far away screaming for him.

~~~

The doors to the ambulance started to close but Grace wasn’t ready to leave, two of her best friends where still stuck in the bus. She couldn’t leave them behind. She started screaming for Tiny and Zig but it was futile and as the doors sealed her screams turned into a coughing fit. The paramedic looked panicked at the thick and rough coughs coming from such a small girl and rushed to place an oxygen mask over her face, she was stopped however when Grace started choking and spluttering trying to get words out  
“Wait, Wait! I’m fine. I have cystic fibrosis that is what the coughing is, please let me go help my friends” she begged but it was clear she wasn’t getting her way once the paramedic placed the mask over her face again  
“Sorry, hun. We’re already on the move. We need to get you better before you can continue caring for your friends”

~~~

The gym was a mess. The opposing school had made their way out to other parts of their campus leaving only the Degrassi students, teachers and family to grieve. Everyone in the room was either openly sobbing or trying to swat their tears away whilst comforting those around them, even the few teachers where not coping. Lola, Frankie and Shay where crying in a huddle on the floor, a pile of limbs glued together with tears. Zoe and Winston where sitting together on the top level of the stands, Winston clearly trying to comfort Zoe who was mumbling words of blame to herself, close to having lost it completely. The rest of the volleyball team where all holding hands with streams of black makeup trailing down their faces whilst one fan was jumping up and down on his ‘Go Degrassi!’ sign whilst screaming at the top of his lungs. 

Miles was the first one to come back to reality, remembering the words of the news broadcaster reporting that the students had been taken to hospital. That was where he needed to be, that is where all the Degrassi students needed to be. He started to direct his friends to his car in the parking lot, leaving Hunter and Yael to virtually carry Frankie and Lola out the door with Shay stumbling behind them. Getting Zoe and Winston was not such an easy task as Zoe was convinced that the crash was all her fault and that she would cause the same fate upon his car if she went with him and Winston insisting that if Zoe wasn’t going then he couldn’t leave her alone and had to stay too. Suddenly, after a few half-hearted attempts from the boys to get her to go the the hospital Zoe suddenly stood and asked them if they where coming, completely void of emotion then made her way out of the gym without looking back at the boys, leaving them extremely confused.

When everyone had arrived at Miles car he realised that he hadn’t properly thought out who would come with him and was left with himself and 7 passengers in a 4 passenger car. Yael was the first to speak up once Miles voiced the issue  
“I might just grab a ride from Baaz’s mum, she drove us here and is super nice so yeah. See you guys there” she said with a small wave as she left beck towards the school  
“Wait! Yael! I’m going to go with her, see you later bro.” Hunter said before running over to Yael. The others where starting to get restless whilst waiting, especially Zoe who was tapping her feet and playing with her hands constantly looking like the human embodiment of anxiety. There was still an extra passenger but Miles did not want to leave anyone behind so he unlocked the car  
“Winston your up front with me” he said as he climbed in, not wanting to be next to any of the girls in case they started sobbing on him. Growing up with Frankie taught him many things, including that if a girl starts crying on you you excuse yourself as fast as possible. It may not be the best way to go about things but it was his way.  
“Just squish in the back” he called out to the girls as he closed the door and fastened his seatbelt – no skipping that step today, they where going to the hospital because of a bus crash after all. The girls took some time to get into the car as Zoe was the quickest and made it very clear that nobody would be sitting on top of her and Lola, Frankie and Shay couldn’t agree on who should be the one without a seat eventuating with Lola sitting on top of both of them, leaving everyone unhappy but they had much more pressing matters at hand so none of them really cared all that much.

The trip was mostly silent apart from a few sniffles from the back seat. Miles and Winston tried to have a conversation but both their minds where on the crash so it wasn’t long before the short statements died of entirely. Zoe said absolutely nothing for the entire ride, she tapped about on her phone for a bit but all that came up anywhere was images of the crash and she couldn’t deal with looking at them, however before she could scroll past it she saw the title for a new local news report – ‘Toronto Bus Crash; multiple students taken to hospital, several in critical condition with many still trapped’ – which left her feeling completely empty on the inside. She quickly changed apps to Instagram which was still logged in to her new account she created to talk to people about self harm. She had five new notifications on the photo she posted earlier but she couldn’t look as it reminded her of Grace and how she wanted to help but Zoe just pushed her away again. Eventually she had to put her phone away as it was all to depressing and she couldn’t deal with any of it.

It would have been nice if the car trip was calm and as relaxed as possible in the circumstances but in true Degrassi fashion that didn’t happen.  
“Uhh I may have made a huge mistake” Miles started before trailing off for a few seconds  
“I wasn’t really paying attention to the route I took and now we are going to have to go past the crash site..” he trailed off again this time expecting angry responses but when he got nothing he continued  
“uhh so just like, look away I guess” he finished but again there was just silence for a long period  
“that’s ok dude, as long as you get us to the hospital that is what really matters” Winston uttered to break the silence. It was only another few minutes before they where forced to face the wreck. They where going the opposite direction so the traffic wasn’t congested leaving them with only a quick glance but that was all they needed for the image to be permanently etched into their brains. Just as the video had shown the bus was on it’s roof but a lot of factors had been hidden in the video such as how half the bus was a charred mess and how multiple students where receiving serious medical treatment on the grass surrounding it including CPR on a couple of students. The sirens where still roaring all around them, the entire states emergency department must have been on the scene as there was still at least 10 ambulances waiting to transport the injured and 4 firetrucks putting out the last of the fire and rescuing students from the bus. But the worst part was the large brown stains on the grass. There was no hiding what caused the stains and there where so many scattered around the wreck it was one of the most prominent images in the groups minds for the rest of the trip and for a long time afterwards. 

The rest of the trip continued again in silence except now tears where in the mix from everyone in the car. Miles gripped the steering wheel so hard his hands turned white, Shay, Frankie and Lola who had all been holding hands the whole trip tightened their grip and Zoe started subtly scratching at her thigh, irritating her fresh wounds.   
The car was officially a mess.


End file.
